. . Lintuharrastajan päiväkirja Birders diary . .

On the 2nd of June we headed to Melkoniemi forests and found altogether 6 singing Red-breasted Flycatchers but still no Greenish Warblers. A Three-toed Woodpecker was drumming and it was a year-tick. Young Tengmalm’s Owl was looking at us from the nest-hole but in the afternoon it was already out.

We continued to Saari where in Akonpohja we saw a Brent Goose and a Black-tailed Godwit. In the evening I saw a Short-eared Owl in Siikalahti and a female Hen Harrier in Tetrisuo. At night we visited the best places nearby and heard 4 Spotted Crakes, 4 Marsh Warblers, a couple of Great Snipes, lots of Corn Crakes and so on.

On the 5th of June Hanna found a Great Reed Warbler in Särkisalmi and of course I had to twitch it. In the afternoon we visited Saari again and saw a couple of Common Ringed Plovers and a Temminck’s Stint. In Kangaskylä we saw an Oystercatcher and in the evening I twitcher a Grasshopper Warbler in Siikalahti. Then I found another Grasshopper Warbler, heard a Great Snipe, lots of Nightjars and Blyth’s Reed Warblers and a new Spotted Crake. Next day only better bird was a Black Kite in Siikalahti.

An Oystercatcher was seen in the village pretty often and then on the 8th day we saw 3 Oystercatchers flying over Papinlahti where we were having SSP-ringing. We caught only 5 Sedge Warblers, 1+1c Common Whitethroats, 3 Garden Warblers, a Willow Warbler, a Great Tit, 2 Common Rosefinches and a Reed Bunting. A River Warbler was singing nearby and a Grey Heron was heard from the sky. In the afternoon we visited Saari again but saw only a Gadwall couple and a Garganey in Akonpohja and a Little Ringed Plover in Pohjanranta.

On the 9th day we woke up a little bit late but then drove to Lappeenranta Joutseno Kotasaari where a Terek Sandpiper had been seen for quite some time already. We searched for it for several hours in windy weather but without luck. We heard a Marsh Sandpiper a couple of times and saw a couple of Garganeys, a Slavonian Grebe couple, 7 Common and 6 Little Ringed Plovers, 5 Spotted and 4 Common Redshanks, a Yellow Wagtail and heard a Great Reed Warbler. Then we went to Konnunsuo where we found easily 5 Ortolan Buntings, saw a Hen Harrier and heard a Quail. Then we headed back to Kotasaari where we had to keep rain for some time before we had to give up. We were just about to leave when a friendly birder stopped us and told that he had just seen the Terek Sandpiper exactly on the same place where we had just minutes before been. We drove back and there it finally was. It was good to see this personally-looking wader and ever better to hear it calling too.

On the 10th of June I went by bike to check that a couple of Little Ringed Plovers had bred successfully – but they had only 2 youngsters. In village there were again several Barnacle Geese families and on Canada Goose family. I also heard a couple of Marsh Warblers.

On the 11th day at least 12 Hobbies were hunting dragonflies in Siikalahti. In the evening I went to a night-trip with Teijo and Miila Saari. We started with Savi’s Warbler in Siikalahti and then we soon saw a Long-eared Owl and heard plenty of Nightjars and a Corn Crakes before we went to listen to Great Snipes. We found one Great Snipe in a different place too.

Next evening we headed to Saari where we saw a couple of Little Tinged Plovers in Pohjanranta, a Golden Plover in Kuussaari, a Grey-headed Woodpecker in Honkakylä and then in Karinmäki we managed to read a ring of a Curlew that we had seen a couple of years earlier last time with Hanna. It had been ringed 27 years ago in Lincolnshire England! It was already getting dark so we checked a couple of fields but found only the same species. But when we stopped in Jyrkilä I immediately heard a promising song. We walked a little bit closer and then we heard it clearly – a Booted Warbler! Soon we also saw this bird and it was only my second ever self-found Booted Warbler in Parikkala – and a lifer for Teijo and Miila. A Short-eared Owl was hunting over the field too so we were pretty happy!

On the 13th day we met with our old friend Danield Burgas and his two Catalan friends in Jyrkilä. They had driven straight from Helsinki-Vantaa airport and at 8 p.m. they started birding and the first bird was a Booted Warbler which was lifer even for Dani who had lived in Finland for 15 years. We had planned to do birding together at weekend but I had been sleeping so well after work that we decided to do some birding right away. After some watching and listening to Booted Warbler we decided to ring it too. The same Short-eared Owl and Quail were still around and of course several Corn Crakes.

We visited some good places and heard a Spotted Crake, a Water Rail, Great Bitterns, Blyth’s and Marsh Warblers and saw a Long-eared owl.

After my work I slept as long as I could and at 11 p.m. we met Catalans in Siikalahti. Savi’s Warbler was still singing. Then we headed to field where I had heard a distant Great Snipe a couple of nights earlier and there were 3 birds displaying right next to the road!

We continued to Papinlahti where an active River Warbler was also seen quite well. A couple of young Long-eared Owls were heard there too. Then we ringed another Marsh Warbler, found several Reed Warblers and managed to see a Thrush Nightingale well in Kukonkanta. The biggest surprise for us were a couple of Hawfinches that flew over us. Then we decided to ring the young Little Ringed Plovers while a Golden Oriole was already starting to sing.

We still spent some time with Blyth’s Reed Warblers before we headed to Melkoniemi forests. On the way I heard a familiar song through open window and there was finally a Greenigh Warbler! We managed to see this warbler surprisingly well before we continued to try other forest-birds. But the forest was surprisingly quiet. After some waiting we saw a Three-toed Woodpecker visiting the nest that Hanna had found earlier and some of us managed to see a Siberian Jay briefly. Then we ended the trip to neighbor to Savo side of the border where a Red-throated Diver was swimming on the pond with a young.

On the 16th of June we had SSP again and we caught a Marsh Warbler, 2+1c Common Whitethroats, 1k Garden Warbler, a Willow Warbler, 2 Great Tits and a Reed Bunting. Long-eared Owl youngsters, a Spotted Crake and a Water Rail were calling and a White-tailed Eagle flew over.

On the 18th day an Oystercatcher youngsters were seen in an island close to Kangaskylä. On th 19th day I saw a Gadwall in Siikalahti but otherwise I didn’t see much during the week. Hanna was birding every night or morning but mostly she concentrated photographing or atlas-birding.

On the 21st, mid-summer day we slept long but then headed to Saari where in Akonpohja we saw a White-tailed Eagle and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. The Booted Warbler and the Quail were still in Jyrkilä but almost nothing else was found. After we had eaten well, we headed to check that everything was OK with Three-toed Woodpeckers. The nestlings were still very small as a male was inside the nest. Then it started to rain and it was a relief as I really needed some sleep.

But on the next night we were birding again. We checked some new nightsinger areas but found only Corn Crakes, Blyth’s Reed Warblers, a couple of Marsh Warblers and so on. During the day there wasn’t much in Siikalahti either, just a Golden Oriole, 10 Hobbies and the same Savi’s Warbler still. It really seemed that the best birding time was over.

So during the weekend only other things to mention were ringing 2 Oystercatcher chicks that were now on the shore in Kangaskylä – actually they were ringed almost in our back-yard where we also saw a strange flock of 6 other Oystercatchers. Then on the 23rd day we had SSP again and caught a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2c Sedge Warblers, 2c Common Whitethroats, 2c Garden Warblers, a Willow Warbler, 2 Blue and 7 Great Tits and 2 Reed Buntings. In the afternoon while running with Hanna’s brother Miika we saw a female Capercaillie. And at night I twitched a River Warbler as a Siikalahti year-tick.

On the last week of June it was getting very quiet. A short night-trip at 26th showed that even Savi’s Warbler had gone quiet or moved somewhere and only a single Great Snipe was calling only once. Booted Warbler had also disappeared after our last observation. There is still time to find some singers until bush-crickets start their noise. After all the highlight of the week was a House Sparrow family in Kangaskylä – the last pair is still alive.

On Friday the 28th of June we drove to Loviisa with Hanna and Hanna’s sister Elissa. In Pernaja Särklax there was a flooded field where were some waders and we had to really work hard in bad light and haze before we managed to find a Lesser Yellowlegs. A couple of other twitchers were happy to tick a sleeping Greenshank…

On the 29th day we were in Siikalahti for a few hours but saw only a Black Kite. And on the last day of June we did a long boat-trip to Lake Simpele with Arttu Valonen. We surveyed gulls and other birds and found out that there aren’t many pairs of Lesser Black-backed Gulls left. We also made sure that Cormorants aren’t breeding yet. Then we still visited Rautjärvi Simpele Kokkolanjoki where we checked that 2 pairs of Grey Wagtails were still around and breeding. The rest of the day we took easy.

J.A.

On Friday the 31st of May after work I started driving towards Luoto, where a Bonelli’s Warbler had been singing for almost a week already. It was a long drive but I didn’t stop at all on the way and finally parked to Luoto Eugmo Fränsviken. Willow Warblers and a Lesser Whitethroat were singing all the time but I had to wait for some time before I finally heard the Bonelli’s Warbler. I took lots of sound-recording and also managed to get some pretty good pictures of this bird. It was also calling actively so it was good to record the calls too.

I met a local birder at Bonelli’s Warbler place and he told me that a Dark Junco that had been in Luoto a couple of weeks earlier had probably been recorded in Kokkola a couple of days earlier. Merlin App had made the identification. And then there was also a possible record this morning but nobody knew where it had been made.

It was already late evening when I drove to Kokkola and I was driving around the place where the Junco sound-recording had been made. I spent a couple of hours there but then I decided to drive Harrbåda where I tried to sleep a little but without success. When the sun was rising, I drove back to Luoto to tick the Bonelli’s Warbler as a June-tick.

Then I still drove back to Kokkola and searched for Junco for an hour before I drove back towards Harrbåda. First I visited Elba bird-tower and saw a couple of Shelducks. Then I walked along a path to Rummelö bird-tower which was closed because of construction work, but anyway I walked until the tower. A Water Rail was calling on the way and close to the tower I saw a Ural Owl. From the tower I saw a couple of Broad-billed Sandpipers.

Then I drove to the end of the road to Harrbåda and planned to start to sleep. I had already been awake for 24 hours and driven hundreds of kilometers so I as very tired, but anyway I decided to check Harrbåda first. The shore where the birds were was in very bad light but I managed to identify some Common and Lesser Ringed Plovers and then I found a nice Red Knot. I though I had checked all the birds many times already when I noticed a sandpiper that was right back on the shore and in the worst light. I immediately thought it was a Pectoral Sandpiper. But it was all the time behind some rocks so I couldn’t really see it well. But I managed to see that it had yellow legs and very dark throat. I was wondering why it didn’t have a distinct V on its back. I decided to move my scope if there was any other bird nearby for a size-comparisation and soon found a couple of Common Ringed Plovers. I then turned my scope back towards the sandpiper but it was gone! I searched for some time but couldn’t relocate it. So I couldn’t be sure if it had been a Pectoral Sandpiper or a strange, maybe dirty Temminck’s Stint.

There were other birders coming to the shore so I decided to go to sleep. Also my friends visited this place later and they didn’t see any small waders there. But later in the evening a Pectoral Sandpiper was found right on the same spot…

When I woke up I started driving back towards South-East. On the way I stopped in Evijärvi Särkijärvi where I photographed breeding Black Terns in a very hot weather! After all most of the pictures were pretty bad because of the haze.

I still had a long drive back to Parikkala but finally I was at home. It had been a long but successful twitching trip.

J.A.

On the 15th of May Arttu Valonen started finding rarities but unfortunately nobody else managed to see a Penduline Tit in Koitsanlahti. I only heard a Garden Warbler and a Wryneck and we all saw a Ural Owl that was breeding inside a log there.

On the morning of the 16th of May a Golden Oriole was singing in our garden. I headed to an early morning trip and once I stopped at dam-road Arttu had just found a Savi’s Warbler there. On my lunch-hour I heard an Icterine Warbler in Tiviä and then on the dam-road we surprisingly saw a very late Golden Eagle migrating. Also a female Red-backed Shrike was seen as a year-tick.

On the 17th of May I saw a couple of Pink-footed Geese in Punnola. Then on my lunch-hour I saw a couple of Black Kites and the same Bluethroat was still singing by the dam-road. In the afternoon we headed to Saari where in Akonpohja we saw a Common Ringed Plover and a Common Redshank, in Kanavalampi 6 Temminck’s Stints, a Spotted Redshank and a Short-eared Owl, in Jyrkilä a Merlin and then we headed to Pohjanranta. The we saw 2 Little and 3 Common Ringed Plovers, 80 Ruffs, a Temminck’s Stint and 2 Common Redshanks until I found a strange-looking wader that I couldn’t immediately identify. But when first a Wood Sandpiper and then a Ruff passed it I realized that it was the first Pectoral Sandpiper in Parikkala!

We took lots of bad pictures of this distant Pectoral Sandpiper but then most of the geese flushed for some reason and then also all waders flew to one very vegetated island at the Pectoral Sandpiper wasn’t found anymore. Later in the evening all the waders had flushed together and left towards north.

In the evening we went to put mist-nets ready to our SSP-ringing site and there we saw a couple of Oystercatchers.

On the 18th of May we woke up very early and hat mist-nets up when the sun was rising. In 6 hours we ringed only 4 Common Whitethroats, 5 Willow Warblers and 2 Reed Bunting and one was controlled. We also had a Little Ringed Plover and a Temminck’s Stint migrating over us until at 9:30 a.m. Hanna noticed a bigger raptor flying right above us. She said immediately that I should look at this raptor as she had identified it already. Once I found the bird I was shocked – it was a pale morph Booted Eagle!

The eagle finished soaring and started to glide towards sun but we had plenty of time to see it very well with binoculars and then I hurried to see it also with my scope that was standing on a drier place. But soon the bird flew against the sun and we lost it. Then we hurried to get our cameras so we would be ready when it comes to the other side of the sun, but it never came. It had either continued gliding or started to get higher to the sky against the sun. But after all we were happy even though we hadn’t got any pictures as we had finally seen a rare eagle in Parikkala!

In the afternoon we headed to Saari where in Akonpohja we saw 2 Little Ringed Plovers, a Black-tailed Godwit and 5 Temminck’s Stints. Then we heard familiar humming sound that we identified as Mute Swan’s wings and soon we saw the swan flying over the field. Mute Swan is not annual in Parikkala.

In Kanavalampi we saw a couple of Black-tailed Godwits and 4 Temminck’s Stints and in Pohjanranta 2 Little Ringed Plovers. Then we still headed to Siikalahti where the same Bluethroat and Savi’s Warbler were still active. In Punnola we saw again a couple of Pink-footed Geese.

On the 19th day we headed to Pohjanranta early and stayed there for some hours but unfortunately the weather-forecaats were once again wrong and there was no rain at all. So we didn’t see the migrating waders we had hoped to see. A Garganey, a White-tailed Eagle, 2 Honey Buzzards, a Hen Harrier, 8 Temminck’s Stints and a Common Rosefinch were found and in Ansunmäki we saw a Merlin. Then we moved to Siikalahti where we stayed also some hours and saw 3 Honey Buzzards, a Black Kite, a White-tailed Eagle, a Whimbrel and 4 Common Swifts and so on.

In the evening the first Dark Junco was found in Luoto western coast but too late for me and during week I have no possibility to go twitching very far. So I hoped the bird to stay there for longer but unfortunately it disappeared too soon. Luckily I had been lucky with my previous twitches and finally managed to find something by myself too so I wasn’t very disappointed.

During the week we had a Common Reed Warbler in Helenansaari, even 9 Temminck’s Stints, a Little Ringed Plover, a Whimbrel and a Marsh Sandpiper in Pohjanranta, a few Red-breasted Flycatchers in Soininmäki and in Siikalahti there were a couples of Greylag Goose, Black Kite and Common Redshank. We also saw a couple of migrating Arctic Skuas, a Temminck’s Stint and the same Bluethroat and Savi’s Warbler were still around. In Moskuunniemi I heard a Corn Crake and in Muttelinmäki a Spotted Flycatcher. We also went to ring the only Ural Owl chicks we had this year.

On the 24th of May I went right after midnight to twitch a River Warbler that Hanna had found earlier. I wasn’t tired so I continued to check that Great Snipes had arrived to their ordinary place. Then I still had some Nightjars, Corn Crakes, a Short-eared owl and the same Savi’s Warbler before I continued to home to sleep.

On Friday and Saturday we did duck-counts in Saari but saw nothing special on the counts. Some Common and Little Ringed Plover and Temminck’s Stints and again a Whibrel. On Friday in Tarassiinlahti we saw a migrating falcon that was catching bugs all the time. Luckily it passed us pretty close so we could identify it as a female Red-footed Falcon. When we were driving towards Parikkala we noticed another falcon in Akanpelto and stopped our car a soon found out that there were 2 female Red-footed Falcons catching insects over the field! White we were trying to get some pictures of the falcons in last light we saw a flock of 29 Velvet Scoters and 2 Greater Scaups migrating over us.

On Saturday we saw only a couple of Gadwalls, a migrating flock of Barnacle and Brent Geese with one possible Pale-bellied Brent in the flock in Kanavalampi. In Pohjanranta we saw 4 Temminck’s Stints and a single Broad-billed Sandpiper and in Akonpohja 2 males and a female Garganey. The best observation of the day was maybe a couple of House Sparrows in Pohjanranta – the first House Sparrows in Parikkala for us this year.

On the 26th day we had SSP again and caught 2 White Wagtails, a Redwing, 2 Sedge Warblers, a Blyth’s Reed Warbler, a Common and a Lesser Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler, 2 Willow Warbler and a Reed Bunting control. Only a Little Ringed Plover and a Temminck’s Stint were heard migrating. And again on Sunday evening a rare bird was found and again in Luoto! This time there was the 5th Bonelli’s Warbler for Finland. Again I had to hope it to stay until the next weekend. After all it would be nice to do some twitching after all these spontaneous birds…

On the 27th of May I did short trip to forests and saw a Capercaillie. At night I heard a Spotted Crake, some Great Snipes, Nightjars, Blyth’s Reed Warblers and a Short-eared Owl. Also a flock of 230 Brent Geese were seen migrating.

On the 28th of May the same Bluethroat was still singing and also a Common Reed Warbler was heard along the dam-road. On the next morning there was a Marsh Warbler singing on the same bushes and it was my Parikkala year-tick number 200 – earlier than ever. On my lunch-hour I saw a Black Kite and in the afternoon I was jogging around Tarvaslampi with Hanna’s brother Miika and we saw a young Tengmalm’s Owl on its nest-hole.

On the 30th day I saw a couple of Common Redshanks in Siikalahti and in the afternoon a couple of the same species were see also in Pohjanranta where we also saw a couple of late Greater White-fronted Geese and even 113 Lapwings with the first young ones too. Then we a Great Snipe lekking on a new place and surprisingly it flew very close to us and we could get some great pictures of it. In Akonpohja we saw again a Black-tailed Godwit and in the evening we visited the Tengmalm’s and Ural Owl’s natural nests where still were some youngsters.

J.A.

On the 1st of May there was only Common Redpolls migrating in Siikalahti. The same Bluethroat was still singing and a Peregrine flew over. Pretty soon we decided to drive to Saari where we did water-bird counts. We saw 2 male Gadwalls in Akonpohja and couples in Kanavalampi and Tarassiinlahti. There were lots of birds but nothing special. A Blackcap was seen in Hiekkaniemi and in Pohjanranta we saw a female Pallid Harrier, a Peregrine Falcon and a couple of Oystercatchers.

My brother Pirkka arrived at night and we headed straight to Siikalahti where we heard the same Bluethroat and a Spotted Crake.

On the 2nd of May on my birthday we started in Siikalahti but saw nothing interesting. Of course Pirkka got plenty of year-ticks! Only new bird for me was a Hobby. Then we twitched a Tengmalm’s Owl and a Nuthatch before headed to Saari. A Slavonian Grebe was in Valkialampi and then it was quiet until we got to Kanavalampi where we saw Bewick’s Swans, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Garganey and a Red-breasted Goose. In Suurenjärvenliete we found 2 more Red-breasted Geese, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Marsh Sandpiper! When we were about to drive back, we got a message that probably the same Bar-headed Goose that I had found earlier was now in Kinnarniemi and of course we drove to see it. In the evening we still headed to Siikalahti and managed to see the long-staying American Wigeon. So we had really started well!

On the 3rd of May we had a Garganey and a White-tailed Eagle in Siikalahti and then both in Kontiolampi and in Kolmikannankangas a Pallid Harrier. When we were in Lahdensuo, we saw a White-tailed Eagle soaring on the sky with a Short-eared Owl. Then I got a message that there was a strange-looking chat in Lappeenranta. I got a couple of pictures of the bird and I wasn’t sure what it was. So we decided to go twitching. On the way we got a message about the exact place. Once we got there, we were alone. After some searching we found a few Whinchats and with them there was this 2nd year male Siberian Stonechat too. After I had got a few pictures all chats flew to top of high spruces and then they all disappeared. The weather had warmed up and they probably continued their migration?

On the way back we twitched a singing Grey Wagtail in Rautjärvi Simpele Ritakoski where we also saw some House Martins. Then we rested a little bit went to check that Little Ringed Plovers were back in Kukonkanta before headed to Saari again. In Akonpohja we saw a Slavonian Grebe, 4 Bewick’s Swans, 3 Gadwalls, in Pohjanranta a Little Ringed Plover, in Jyrkilä 5 Whimbrels, in Suurenjärvenliete a Grey-headed Woodpecker, a Black Woodpecker and a Lapland Bunting and in Tarnala a Hen Harrier but nothing better really.

On the 4th of May was the Bird-tower competition. We had lots of clothes when we walked to Siikalahti bird-tower. At 4:56 a.m. I found the American Wigeon and we had long 4 minutes to wait until the race begun. Luckily the bird stayed visible long enough and actually even 2 extra seconds! Then in next 8 hours we didn’t see it at all!

It was very cold and even raining but of course we saw many common species. When the weather finally started to get better we still kept on doing OK but still we saw only common birds. After several hours Hanna’s brother Miika counted that we had already got 85 species and it really sounded crazy – we had possibilities to our record!

Spring had been late so there were still some early migrants and now it was finally getting warm so we also got some later migrants like a Common Cuckoo, a Sedge Warbler, a flock of Common Scoters, a Hobby, a Merlin, Whimbrels and so on.

When it started to get warm we saw a Red-breasted Merganser, a Hen and a Pallid Harrier, a couple of Rough-legged Buzzards, a Common Redshank, a Black-tailed Godwit, an early Common Swift, a flock of Waxwings and so on but then it went quiet. Luckily at 12:40 p.m. we still had a Linnet flying over us but last 20 minutes didn’t give us any more species. We really hoped to see a White-tailed Eagle, a Sand Martin or Grey-headed or White-backed Woodpecker or so on.

After all we had got 100 species which was the first time ever! Also Saari Pohjanranta tower got the same result so together we were the first inland towers ever to get 100!

We rested a little bit and headed to Saari again and saw 3 Bewick’s Swans, a Garganey and a Black-tailed Godwit in Kanavalampi but nothing else really. Hanna stayed again in a hide for the night. With Pirkka we still headed to Siikalahti in the evening and we heard a Jack Snipe.

On the 5th of May we didn’t find anything new and then Pirkka had to start a long drive back to Kemijärvi. With Hanna we saw a Little Ringed Plover and a flock of Waxwings in Pohjanranta and then we twitched a Hawfinch in Särkisalmi.

On the beginning of the week I was tired so I just visited Siikalahti on my luch-hours and saw only a Black Kite there and a couple of Oystercatchers in Kangaskylä.

On the 8th of May I took an evening train to Lappeenranta and there we left with a couple of friends to Pori. We were in Pori early on the next morning and in Tikkula we heard a Thrush Nightingale.

After some breakfast we continued to Enäjärvi where we found an American Black Duck immediately! It was sleeping in the middle of the lake with a Mallard. Soon it woke up and swam a little bit along the shore before it disappeared to the vegetation. We also heard a Spotted Crake there.

We continued to Kaarluoto where we soon heard a couple of Bluethroats and a Common Reed Warbler. Then Miika Alatalo found a Long-billed Dowitcher that was feeding with Ruffs. There were big flocks of Ruffs flushing up to the sky all the time and suddenly the dowitcher disappeared with one flock. But luckily it soon came back alone and stayed quite close to us so we could get some pictures.

We still went to Yyteri surffiranta where we saw a couple of Little Terns, 2 Common Shelducks and 58 Bar-tailed Godwits and so on before started a long way along the coast towards south. In Rauma Unaja we saw a Great Egret over us.

In Mynämäki we stopped in Mietoistenlahti where we hadn’t been before. A Gadwall, a couple of Common Shelducks, a few Greater Scaups and Bar-tailed Godwits and a Red-breasted Flycatcher were found. Then in Masku I found a harrier from the moving car and once we got out it was already very far. We just took lots of pictures of it and at home I checked the pictures and it was a female Pallid Harrier.

In Salo we twitched a Collared Dove in Helenankatu and then headed to Omenojärvi where after some searching we saw a distant Ferruginous Duck. Then we still visited Aneriojärvi but the light was very bad for checking numerous geese there. In Helsinki Vuosaari we twitcher a Moorhen and then we still stopped in Hamina Lupinlahti where we saw 22 Caspian Terns. In Lappeenranta I took a train again to Parikkala. It had really been good Ascension Day!

On the 10th of May we headed to Pohjanranta in the afternoon. There we twitched a Grey Plover that Arttu Valonen and his friends had found. Then we counted birds there. On the way back we twitched a Ring Ouzel in Savikumpu. It was singing even though the weather was very windy.

On the 11th day we headed once again to Saari and in Kinnarniemi we found a Brent Goose on the way. The Grey Plover was still in Pohjanranta where we saw also a Little Ringed Plover, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Redshank. Then along the main-road 6 we twitched a couple of Red-breasted Geese before we found one more Red-breasted Goose in Pohjasuo.

In Kanavalampi we counted birds and saw 37 Spotted Sandpiper and 5 Common Redshanks. In Matikaisennurkka we saw a female Hen Harrier and in Mikkolanniemi a Black Kite was soaring on the sky. In Suurenjärvenliete we found a Marsh Sandpiper and then we went to count birds in Nivalahti. I dropped Hanna to hide again before I continued to Pohjanranta where I saw probably the same lonely Red-breasted Goose. In Akonpohja floods I saw a couple of Common Ringed Plovers, a Black-tailed Godwit and 5 Common Redshanks. On the way back to home I still stopped in Lääviensuo where I found a Pink-footed Goose. And in the evening I still went to Siikalahti where I saw 4 Gadwalls, a couple of Garganeys, even 205 Tufted Ducks but no American Wigeon.

On the 12th day a Wood Warbler was singing in Moskuunniemi and then I went to count birds in Akonpohja and Tarassiinlahti. In Akonpohja I saw a Black Kite, a Slavonian Grebe and a Common Pochard and in Tarassiinlahti a Gadwall and one more Black Kite.

On the 13th of May 8 Greater Scaups migrated in Siikalahti and the same Bluethroat was still singing. On the 14th day the landscape was finally changing green and in Siikalahti I heard a Thrush Nightingale, a Wood Warbler, a Sedge Warbler and some Common Whitethroats. After work Arttu picked me up and then we picked up Merja Laari in Särkisalmi and then we drove a long way to Kuopio Vuotjärvi to twithc the first A-category Ross’s Goose in Finland!

This Ross’s Goose had been ringed in Nunavut Canada and last autumn it had been found in Norway. Since that it had been seen in Denmark, Belgium, Nederland, Germany, Sweden and Estonia. In Finland birders had been hoping that the bird would continue to Finland with Barnacle Geese, but instead it was again found in Norway on the 9th of May. Maybe the bird was going back to Canada?

This bird had been moving with another unringed Ross’s Goose and when a lonely Ross’s Goose was found in Kuopio Lupinlahti on the 12th of May everyone expected it to be one more escaper. But then on the next evening birders saw a metal-ring on its leg and on the next morning photographers managed to read this ring – 2127-23516 – it was the same bird!

Unfortunately this goose was quite far but at least we managed to see it – and even the ring was visible at some point. On the way back we ate in Kaavi and then in Joensuu Reijola we saw a Bar-headed Goose which we also managed to photograph quite well.

Still about one week ago I had thought if I am going to get any Finnish-ticks this year. And now I had got 2 of them in a week – an American Black Duck and a Ross’s Goose, Maybe next I will found something by myself? I hope so…

J.A.

On the 15th of April the spring had arrived to Parikkala too – slowly and unsurely. In Särkisalmi I saw Great Crested Grebes, Smews and a Tufted Duck and in Siikalahti there were already a couple of thousands of geese, mostly Greater White-fronted and Tundra Bean Geese but also already 200 Barnacle Geese. 6 Marsh Harriers, 3 Ospreys, a Hen Harrier, 22 Pintails, 2 Greenshanks and a couple of Rough-legged Buzzards were also seen but the best bird was found on a flooded field nearby where I saw a Common Shelduck.

On the 16th of April there were 2 Cormorants in Särkisalmi and 1 Pochard and Shovelers in Siikalahti. In the evening I got big news as Minna Terävä called that she had seen a couple of hours earlier a duck that she thought was an American Wigeon! Soon she sent a picture and there was a really good-looking American Wigeon! Sun was setting when we hurried to dam-road but we saw only 5 Bewick’s Swans and heard 5 Water Rails before we saw a big flock of wigeons flying to the northern side of the bay to sleep.

On the 17th day I was searching for the American Wigeon alone early in the morning. I had already checked dam-road, Kasinniemi tower and main tower and heading to northern side but stopped again in Kasinniemi. And there the American Wigeon finally was! It was my Siikalahti-tick number 250!

American Wigeon was showing to everyone who came to twitch it early in the morning but then disappeared again. I visited Siikalahti a couple of times and saw a Greylag Goose, a Slavonian Grebe, a couple of White-tailed Eagles, a Merlin, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Common Redshank, a Wren and then a Short-eared Owl in Tetrisuo. The first Black-throated Diver had arrived at Särkisalmi.

On the 18th day there were already 23 Great Crested Grebes in Särkisalmi and in Siikalahti I saw 16 Snow Buntings. We did a short trip to Saari in the afternoon but saw only a couple of Redshanks and Linnets and so on.

On the 19th day it was snowing again. It was extremely cold too! Anyway I managed to see the same American Wigeon and Slavonian Grebe in the evening.

On the 20th of April Siikalahti was mostly frozen! Swans, geese and ducks had managed to keep some parts open. So ducks were easy to count but we couldn’t find the American Wigeon but there was a Little Grebe in one open water area and a Slavonian Grebe on the other one with many ducks. I also saw a Chiffchaff.

Back-winter had forced many birds to feeders and luckily many people were still filling up the feeders. Other people were making open areas to their back-yards where birds could come to feed. I saw several Dunnocks on some feeders. In the afternoon we headed to Saari but saw only a Northern Wheatear and a flock of Snow Buntings and so on. Hanna decided to stay over night in a hide along one open water place. I still visited Siikalahti late in the evening and managed to see the American Wigeon. I wonder where it had been in the morning?

On the 21th day Hanna had been sleeping in a tent in -15 degrees! All the open water areas were even smaller again and there were less birds. In Siikalahti I saw nothing new but I managed to twitch a Ring Ouzel that was visiting one garden. The owner let me take pictures of this stunning bird from his livingroom while the bird was feeding on the grass that had been dug visible.

When I went to pick up Hanna I twitched the same Common Shelduck in Kinnarsalmi and saw a Shore Lark and a flock of Lapland Buntings in Suurenjärvenliete. Otherwise I didn’t see much.

On the 23th of April Siikalahti was open again and I saw a couple of Gadwalls and even 210 Eurasian Wigeons but not American Wigeon. In Rautalahti I saw a flock of 30 Oystercatchers and a Peregrine Falcon and in Joukio I saw a Black Kite.

On the 24th day on my lunch-jour I saw a Greater Spotted Eagle migrating in Siikalahti and in Särkisalmi I saw a lonely Oystercatcher. On the 25th day I saw a Black Kite and a Whimbrel in Siikalahti and after work I went to Saari but it started to snow again very hard. So I saw 4 Gadwalls in Akonpohja but in Pohjanranta the visibility was so bad that I didn’t get out from my car at all.

On the 26th day there were 11 Common Scoters and a Red-throated Diver in Särkisalmi and in Siikalahti I saw again a Black Kite and a Ruff and a Wood Sandpiper. In two visits I saw also altogether 93 migrating Greenshanks. Then we headed to Saari where we saw 4 Bewick’s Swans in Kinnarsalmi, 4 Common Scoters in Akonpohja, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 12 Ruffs, 100 Greenshanks, a Common Redshank and a Wood Sandpiper in Pohjanranta, a Hazel Hen, 40 Greenshanks, a White-backed Woodpecker. 60 Mistle Thrushes and a Lapland Bunting in Suurenjärvenliete and 17 Bewick’s Swans, a Ruff, 52 Greenshanks and 2 Wood Sandpipers in Kanavalampi

On the 27yj of April there were already 52 Black-throated Divers, a Red-necked Grebe, a Red-breasted Merganser and a Common Sandpiper in Särkisalmi. Then we stayed in Siikalahti for the most of the day and saw 2 Bewick’s Swans, 23 Black-throated Divers, 2 Cormorants, even 5 Black Kites, 3 White-tailed Eagles, 4 Hen, even 4 Pallid Harriers and 2 unidentified harriers, 14 Common and 14 Rough-legged Buzzards, a Merlin, a Little and a Common Ringed Plover, 5 Whimbrels, 18 Ruffs, a Common Sandpiper, 98 Greenshanks, 8 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Barn Swallows, 10 Tree Pipits, a Northern Wheatear and so on.

In the afternoon we headed to Saari but saw nothing special. I dropped Hanna to hide again and then headed to Savonlinna with Arttu Valonen and Veikka Kosonen. We twitched a male Steller’s Eider in Punkasalmi but a Citrine Wagtail wasn’t in Tänkky anymore. So we headed to Riihisaari where we found 2 male Mandarin Ducks and a Mute Swan easily.

On the 28th day a Long-tailed Duck was in Särkisalmi and then I was again in Siikalahti until the afternoon.

The best observation was a Wolverine that I saw jumping to the road! When it saw us it ran a little bit away but luckily turned and stopped looking at us before disappeared to the bushes. A couple of Gadwalls, a Black Kite, a Peregrine Falcon, a Black-tailed Godwit, 29 Ruffs, a Spotted Redshank, a Jack Snipe, 12 Little Gulls, a very early Sand Martin, a Yellow Wagtail, a migrating Citrine Wagtail and probably another one too, 12 Waxwings, a Willow Warbler, 32 Jays, 3 Rooks and 8 Lapland Buntings were seen. In the afternoon I had to drive to Saari again to pick up Hanna but all I saw were a Pink-footed Goose, a Cormorant and a Peregrine in Pohjanranta. In the evening we saw a Short-eared Owl again in Tetrisuo.

On the 29th of April even 3 Citrine Wagtails were found in Siikalahti dam-road. Other birds I saw were a Black Kite, 3 Grey Herons, a couple of Common Redstarts and a Pied Flycatcher. We visited Saari again briefly when Arttu found a Common Whitethroat in Tarassiinlahti and it was a new month-tick for me. In Kanavalampi we saw a Black-tailed Godwit.

On the 30th of April a Bluethroat and a Lesser Whitethroat were singing at dam-road. During my lunch-hour I saw a Black Kite again. In the afternoon we did a good tour in Saari with Harri Hölttä. We saw 7000 Barnacle Geese and a Black Kite in Kirjavala, 4 Gadwalls, a couple of Slavonian Grebes, a Black Kite and a Spotted Redshank in Akonpohja, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits in Suurenjärvenliete and then in Jyrkilä we found a Bar-headed Goose! When we still saw a couple of Oystercatchers and 7 Spotted Redshanks in Tarassii, 4 Bewick’s Swans, a Garganey, a Black Kite, a couple of Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Redshank in Kanavalampi and a Whichat in Karinmäki it is easy to say that we had really had a good trip. In the evening there was still a Peregrine hunting in Siikalahti and a Spotted Crake was calling.

J.A.

On the 6th of April Veikka Kosonen picked me up very early and we started a long drive. In Lapinjärvi Pukaro we had to stop we we found 2 Grey Partridges on the snowy field. Then we continued until Salo where we twitched Collared Doves and saw a Pheasant and a flock of Common Pochards. It was very wintery in Salo too as last night it had been snowing everywhere in Finland.

After some shopping we continued until Parainen Nauvo Pärnäinen where we carried our stuff into the ferry and saw a Coot. We stayed all the ferry-trip on the dock and saw some Common and Velvet Scoters, Long-tailed ducks, a few Black Guillemots, a small flock of Greater Scaups, a couple of Curlews and so on. Finally we were in Jurmo which was all covered by snow! We were told that there was now more snow than in whole winter thanks to last night.

It was very hard to get our stuff to the bird-station because of the snow. We didn’t really have much time for birding left but we saw a Stock Dove and a Wood Lark on the meadow and on the feeder there were plenty of tits, robins and so on and a couple of Dunnocks.

On the 7th of April Veikka and Jouni Saario woke up early to mist-nets. We headed to do morning sea-watch while the rest went to walk the western route. With Timo K. Palomäki and Vesa Virtanen we were seawatching under a pine that gave some shelter from the wind. We saw more than a thousand Common Scoters, a couple of Common Shelducks and Greater Scaups, a Black-throated Diver, an Arctic Skua, 82 Razorbills, 2 Green Sandpipers, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Snow Bunting.

It was so quiet on the mist-nets that Veikka could stop early and we went together to count the eastern route. We saw 10 Rock Pipits, a Common Redshank and a couple of Wood Larks. On the way back towards the station we still saw a Hawfinch. During the day we saw also a Marsh and a Hen Harrier.

The 8th of April was pretty similar. We seawatched with Vesa Virtanen and Teijo Saari and when Veikka was free, we headed to count western route. Near the harbor we managed to twitch a Caspian Tern that Vesa had seen flying over then station. Best bird in west were a Dunlin (schinzii) and a Jack Snipe. But the best birds of the day were seen in the evening at the station where we first saw a Hawfinch and then a Ring Ouzel. During the day snow has finally melted mostly so the expectations were getting higher.

The 9th of April was a bird-day as ringers were busy with 358 ringed Robins. But nothing better was caught. Best bird of the morning was a Tree Pipit that was flying around. It was quiet on the sea but a single Slavonian Grebe was swimming close to the shore. With Timo and Teijo we counted western route and saw a couple of Gadwalls, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a flock of Purple Sandpipers, the same Dunlin, a Jack Snipe and a Twite. As I though I hadn’t walked enough we still went to east with Veikka and saw a couple of Shovelers, a couple of Slavonian Grebes, a Black Redstart and a Whinchat. In the evening a Tree Sparrow, a couple of Rooks and a stunning male Black Redstart were seen close to the station. During the day we had counted altogether 56 Chiffchaffs.

On the 10th day there were still some birds moving and 166 Robins were ringed. The best bird of the seawatch was a Common Guillemot which was Teijo’s 200th Jurmo-tick. We also saw a flock of 3 migrating Hawfinches and a Rook.

With Veikka and Teijo we headed west and saw a nice Steller’s Eider that was swimming on the lake and then flew nicely past us.

Next days weren’t good at all even though the weather didn’t seem too bad. On the 11th day we counted more than 2000 migrating Common Scoters and saw a also 2 Steller’s Eiders. In west we saw 35 Purple Sandpipers and in east a Black Redstart. There was almost no birds on the nets and only a few Chiffchaffs were seen, but 20 Rock Pipits was a good number.

And the 12th day was as poor. More than 2000 Common Scoters and a Red-throated Diver were seen but mist-nets were empty. In west we saw a Red-necked Grebe, Purple Sandpipers and a Dunlin. Altogether 4 Black Redstarts and 9 Wood Larks were seen but I didn’t see a single Chiffchaff. In the evening we heard an Eagle Owl calling a couple of times and with Veikka we heard a Great Bittern calling while migrating.

On the 13th of April we were working hard again but only birds to mention were a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Dunlin and a Tree Pipit. It was good to see some Coal Tits too as some of them had survived their long travels.

The last morning we seawatched with Veikka and saw more than 2000 Common Scoters and 100 Razorbills. I finally saw my first buzzard in Jurmo which was a Rough-legged Buzzard and we also saw a Common Tern. Then we still walked the western route in hard rain and saw quite a good selection of the same birds than every day.

On the ferry we climbed to the deck again and it was full of other birders. Only new bird was an Osprey.

On the way back home we stopped in Hyvinkää Kytäjä where on flooded fields we saw a Green-winged Teal after some trying. It wasn’t easy because of it was with about 600 Common Teals and they were mostly behind some bushes. We still saw a Long-eared Owl crossing the road in Luumäki and finally about at midnight I was at home. Veikka still had some driving left.

J.A.